Sale: Nomos 1, Lot: 140. Estimate CHF8000.  Closing Date: Tuesday, 5 May 2009.  Sold For CHF14500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Nero. 54-68. Dupondius (Orichalcum, 14.82 g 6), Rome, 67. IMP NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR P XIII P P Radiate head of Nero to right with slight beard Rev. PACE P R VBIQ PARTA IANVM CLVSIT / S C View of the Temple of Janus with closed double doors to left. BMC p. 217 note. Cohen 169. RIC 362. WCN 238. An exceptional coin with a lovely dark green patina, sharply struck and with a portrait in high relief. Some uncleaned encrustations and reverse legend partially very slightly double struck, otherwise, good extremely fine.

From the collection of Ph. S., ex The Numismatic Auction 3, 1 December 1985, 216.

This is one of the finest Temple of Janus dupondii in existence, with a sharp portrait and a very detailed view of the temple with its closed doors. As is well known, the temple doors were only closed when there was peace all over the Roman world: that did not happen very often. We know that they were closed twice during the reign of Augustus and, of course, in 66 after Corbulo’s defeat of the Parthians; Nero was the only emperor to show the temple on his coins and it seem s likely that, for political reasons, the doors were mostly kept shut even in times of war.